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Showing posts from April, 2016

Bay Area Rents Still Rising, Just Not as Quickly as Before

The cost of renting an apartment continued to rise across the Bay Area in the first quarter of 2016, though the rate of increase appears to be slowing after years of dizzying hikes. In fact, the days of double-digit increases may be on the wane, according to a new report from Novato-based RealFacts. It shows that the average apartment in the nine-county region rents for... Click here to read full story

Why Tenancy Buyouts are Booming

MacDonald, who represents landlords as well as tenants, reports that six-figure buyout agreements are now becoming common in San Francisco. In fact, he just negotiated one for a tenant in the city’s desirable Russian Hill neighborhood whose huge flat was renting for somewhere between $4,000 and $5,000 per month below market, due to strict rent control. That deal garnered a gross settlement of almost a quarter-million dollars for his client. Click here to read full story...

Smoke Detectors - The Best Way to Save Lives in a Fire

Over the past couple of years a rash of building fires in older apartment buildings here in SF has led the Board of Supervisors to suggest a variety of legislative changes intended to improve our tenants' fire safety. These proposals include mandatory sprinklers, installation of "fire blocking" in attic spaces, and mandatory disclosures to tenants at move in and signage in common areas. All of these proposals are well-intentioned but they're not as effective at saving lives as one of the most basic steps we can and should all take: installing new smoke detectors. As you are undoubtedly aware California state law mandated that as of July 1, 2015 all smoke detectors sold in the state must contain non-replaceable, non-removable batteries that last for at least 10 years. These smoke detectors must also: • Display the date of manufacture